Air service medical / War Department. Air Service. Division of Military Aeronautics.
- Date:
- 1919
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Air service medical / War Department. Air Service. Division of Military Aeronautics. Source: Wellcome Collection.
45/670 page 17
![CHAPTER IL.- : THE SELECTION OF THE FLIER. When it was announced that a state of war existed between the United States and Germany, it at once became apparent that a tre- mendous number of aviators must be secured for the military service within the shortest possible space of time. The medical problem consisted of selecting thousands of physically acceptable men for avia- tion and placing them in training for war service immediately. It was found necessary to decide upon new methods of physical examination and to adopt new standards of physical qualifications for this branch of the service. Before our entrance into the war con- siderable thought had been given to the problem of what should constitute the physical requirements for admission into the aviation service, and medical] officers had been in conference with other mem- bers of the medical profession who were interested in this question. Due consideration also had been given to the study of the require- ments formulated by England, France, and Italy, and also Germany. The examination according to amended blank 609, A. G. O., was put into operation in May, 1917, and it is worthy of note that this same series of tests remains unaltered, even to the minutest detail, up to the present time. The judgment applied to the original selection of those to consti- tute the Air Fighting Force of the United States was not based upon an attempt to decide whether or not the individual selected would be able to fly. It was known that men had been able to fly in spite of one or more physical handicaps, such as having only one leg, having one eye, having tuberculosis, or being cross-eyed, or having one col- lapsed lung, or being well over 50 years of age. Instances were at - hand of those so handicapped who had been able to learn to fly and to fly well. Ultimate economy as well as immediate efficiency indi- cated unquestionably the wisdom of admitting to training only the very best material. The enormous number of applicants at hand made it possible to maintain the highest standards in selecting men for this service. It had been demonstrated by the experience of our Allies that careful selection would avoid the expense, in time and money, of training large numbers of those who would not make good in the service. Furthermore, our measuring stick was chosen in anticipation of peak-load requirements. It was realized that each man entering the flying service might be called upon to negotiate](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32171936_0045.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
